Process for the prevention of petroleum emulsions in the well



March 24. 1925. O 1,531,173

J. 1 D. BRADY PROCESS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PETROLEUM EMULSIONS IN THE WELL Original Filed Dec ll. 1920 Patented Mar. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

JOHN D. BRADY, O'F BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA.

PROCESS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PETROLEUM EMULSIO'NS IN THE WELL.

Original application filed December 11, 1920, Serial No. 429,982. Divided and. this application filed March 20,- 1924. Serial No. 700,667.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jornv D. BRADY, a; citizen of the United States, residing at Bartlesville, in the county of; Washington 6 and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Process for the Prevention of Petroleum Emulsionsin. the Well, of which the. following is a specification.

This invention; relates, to a process: for preventing the formation of hydrocarbon emulsions.

It is well. known, and has been proven that upon initially entering the well, petroleum 16 oil is inv a. continuous and unemulsified. state.

Incident to: churning action of the gas, as

wellas fromagitation of pumping equipment the oil becomes emulsified incident to admixture of' foreign. matter therewith, such 20 as water. It is a primary purpose of this invention to add a reagent to the well adjacent to the point where the oil initially enters the well, sot-hatit will be impossible for the hydrocarbon product to emulsify 25. because of agitation.-

A further object of this invention is the provision of a process for the treating of hydrocarbon oils in wells to prevent emulsification, and as originally set forth in my 30 copending application Serial Number 429,- 982, filed December 11th, 1920; this specification defining the process as practiced in the wells before removal of the petroleum therefrom. 35 I In the drawing,wherein for the purpose of illustration are shown preferred and modified means for feeding the improved chemical or reagent into the well,

Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in 49 cross section, showing the apparatus for carrying out the improved process, and

Flgure 2 is a perspective view showing a modified form of apparatus for practicing the invention.

Referring to Figure 1 wherein is illus-' trated the preferred means for feeding the reagent to the'bottom of the well, the numeral 10 may generally designate the casing at the lower end of which the well 11 is 10- .50 cated into which the hydrocarbon product delivery line 36 communicating therewith.

ing mechanism 13 connected with one end 55 thereof, and at its opposite end being connected by a suitable pi'tman: with a pumping rod construction 15- which depends through the casing 10 into the well 11. The improved liquid chemical or reagent 16 is located within a suitable tank 17? supported upon the ground surface, and a pipe line 18 is provided for conveying the reagent from the tank 17 into the casing head 19 of the well, from whence the chemical or reagent may drop through the well casing 10 into the petroleum at the inlet of the well. In the pipe line 18 a suitable sight glass 19 may be provided, and a valve 20 may be also provided in this line for controlling flow of the reagent. The oil in the well is thoroughly intermixed with the reagent, and will prevent emulsification of the oil. The reagent also has other properties, such as neutralizing the brine or acidulous liquids which are generally found to be present in the bottom of the well, and the improved reagent also provides against the crystallization and breakingof the metal rods used in the pumping equipment. so The form of apparatus for conveying the reagent to the inlet of flowing wells is illustrated in Figure 2, wherein is provided a suitable pump mounted upon the ground surface or in any approved location for forcing the improved chemical solution or reagent 26 from a tank 27, through a pipe line 30 into the well 31 at the bottom of the casing 32; a pipe line 33 extending downwardly through the casing 32 to the most advantageous point of admixture of the reagent in the well 31. In the flowing type of well it is, of course, understood that the casing head 35 is provided which has an oil Referring more particularly to the character and ingredients of the improved chemical or reagent it is preferred to use a reagent in liquid form, and a characteristic of the chemical may be its water softening properties. Thus, soluble carbonates may alone be used, or soluble carbonates, sili-' cates and sulphates mixed and made suf ficiently alkaline by the addition of a soluble hydrate. Soluble soaps, .such as sodium resinate, or sodium oleate' may alone be used, or such soluble soaps mixed with carbonates, silicates, or with oleic acid; or

' twice of this process is the necessity of eliminating any formed emulsions since the process is for the prevention of the formation of the emulsions. rather than the elimination of the emulsions once they are formed. The oil is discharged or delivered at the top of the well in a marketable condition, and is of higher gravity than ordinary oils discharged under similar conditions without the practicing of this process. The oil delivered from the well in which this invention is practiced will not require the oil to be heated to settle sediments, and this is important, since such heating action causes the light ends to escape and lowers Baum gravity of the oil. In practically all oil wells great trouble is experience incident to crystallization and breaking of .iron and metal rods used in the pumping equipment, causing loss of production and heavy overhead expense in fishing out the impaired parts, and getting the well into operation. This crystallization of the metal rods or parts is in the main caused by the action of the acid or alkaline water, most commonly called salt Water. The application in this process of the chemicals of the character above indicated act as water softeners, neutralizing the salt water and serving to considerably reduce the crystallization of the rods of metal parts. The chem-- ical or reagent when containing water softeners as above indicated acts as a lubricant for the leather cups which are used for period over which these cups may be used,

and decreases friction, so that the operating cost is considerably lowered.

While the foregoing sets forth the ingredients and method of practicing of the improved process, and the ingredients have been designated by their best known commercial names, it is to be understood that ingredients which may be differently named, although possessing the same properties or qualities are also comprehended by this invention, as well as their equivalents.

I claim:

1. The described process of preventing the formation of petroleum emulsions, which consists in applying a water softening chemical solution into the crude oil or water within the ground oil Well, before emitting said oil therefrom, so that the same may be delivered freed of all roily oil or' tion, water and oil in said well before emulsification takes place, thereby preventing the formation of BS or roily oil.

3. That process of preventing the formation of hydrocarbon emulsions and lubricating the reciprocatory pumping equipment of ground oil wells which consists in feeding an emulsion preventing solution into the ground well into the body of oil at a point in advance of the inlet of the oil to the pumping equipment.

4. The process of preventing the formation of emulsions in oil, which consists in the feeding of a chemical solution capable of preventing the emulsificat-ion of hydrocarbons into the crude oil within the ground oil well preparatory to emission of said oil therefrom.

pumping purposes, and greatly extends the JOHN D. BRADY. 

